db wrote on Oct 24^th, 2013 at 10:21pm:

LOL!

I still remember starting out wilderness canoeing as a twenty-something in Algonquin. My buddy and I had come back from a trip with one of those "Never again" portages, very pleased with ourselves about how tough we were. I think the portage was about 200 m long with a 3 m rock slab uphill section at the start, something that nowadays we would all blast through without blinking.

Like db, I've kept coming back. Seems after a few months, the memory of the previous year's challenging section fades, and planning for the next year's trip usually involves something that's even longer, boggier, and buggier than the previous year. And when I make it through that trip ("Last year wasn't too bad, but this one - Never again!") the cycle starts over.

Have others had the same experience?

Fundamentally, ST, I agree with you.  But I have to say that at this point in my paddling career I don’t go looking for adversity … I know it will find me.  This past year’s trip into WCPP was a case in point.  My wife and tripping partner has made it abundantly clear that travel days shall not be more than 6 hours and include no more than 5 portages in a given day.  So I planned a route that adhered to that as much as I could.  But if you want to go from Carroll Lake to the Haggart River, for example, then there is going to be a string of 8 or 9 ports, albeit short ones and no way around it and no place to stop. 

Then too, you can never tell; what looks like a hop, skip and a jump on the map can turn out to be the portage from hell.  Our first two travel days were among the most grueling I’ve ever done – 8 to 9 hours under a blazing sun of absolute thigh deep bog slogging through marshland and, oh while we’re at it, lets throw in a few beaver dams just in case we’re feeling bored.  I’m definitely not looking for that sort of thing but I also have to say that we loved it; loved working together and dealing with it.  But other than two days of that, our other travel days were pretty much according to plan – 5, 6 hours and no more than 5 portages – and we like that too, thanks very much! 

When I was younger: longer, tougher, more challenging was what I was all about.  But my baby has educated me about taking the time to smell the roses (or the swamp gas as the case may be) and what baby wants, baby gets! 

Kerry, ditto here. There's enough challenges without looking for them. Read about Samuel Hearn and he wasn't successful till he agreed to let his Indian guides bring their women along. The biggest compliment to someone out in the barrens is telling them they look like they're getting fat.

Having some gals along and easing the pace a bit can make for an enjoyable trip. Keep'm warm and happy. Stay within yourself so you keep doing all the little things right.

jimmar wrote:  Almost every time!

I do not remember ever saying "never again" although I have had my share of miserable moments paddling against wind, doing hot and hard portages, sitting out a snowy cold day, swimming my swamped kayak to shore.  I am usually dragging my feet about going back to civilization and hope I get a chance to make a 3-4 week trip sometime soon before I get too old to do it. 

I have never had a "never again" moment but can visualize them quite clearly. For me they don't entail hardship or bugs or long days.

For me it would be doing something dangerous or stupid. Like battling big waves because I need to get out on time or feel peer pressure to perform beyond my comfort level.

The other situation I could foresee would be going with the wrong person or group. IMO that could ruin a trip far quicker than almost anything else. So far I have been very fortunate in that regard as well and have only had positive results.